Search your birth date in π (client-side)
Select a calendar date; the app searches for an 8-digit MMDDYYYY pattern in the first ten million digits of π. Data is loaded in chunks to keep memory bounded in the browser tab—no server-side search.
How π was first measured
The app page now includes a short history of the circle-number itself: why a hexagon inscribed in a circle gives π = 3 for free, how a tablet from Susa turned the hexagon’s 4% shortfall into 3⅛ (3.125), and why that value is tidy in base 60 the way 22/7 is tidy for us. Neither was a guess — and neither was thought of as an “approximation” to an unreachable exact π. Read it on the π page.
Architecture
| Data | π digits bundled or fetched incrementally; string search uses efficient index scans per chunk. |
|---|---|
| UI | Month/day/year controls with validation; results show offset and context digits when found. |
| Hosting | Static under /pi/; works entirely offline after assets load. |
Design
The project demonstrates how “big data” curiosity can stay client-private: your birthday never leaves the machine. Chunked loading keeps mobile browsers from OOM on multi-megabyte digit strings.